The Demon Within
by Everlastingangel09
Summary: Four teens destined for ruin must venture forth in strange lands to conquer a great evil. Being different in every possible way, they have to find a way to work together.
1. Chapter 1

_W_ _ar rages on across the lands of Melôdahk. The earth shatters before those who asunder its plains and ravage the land in blood. The sky cries not of rain nor shines its light for all those below it. The air is suffocating with ash and death. There is nothing left for humanity to thrive on. To those who escaped with their lives towards neighboring towns and cities, a plague far worse than illness followed suit. The first to be struck was the flourishing city of Aknáh. The city was strewn with bodies and dyed in its people's blood. The plumes of smoke derived from burning buildings filled everyone's lungs and gave them a slow and painful death. The city had fallen…only the first from many to come.  
There remained one hope. A hope to drive out the darkness known as demons that plagued the land of Aknáh and many others; for too long have the demons roamed free and continued to torture humanity. It was time to fight back and regain their freedom once more._

 _Months passed, the land couldn't handle much more chaos the demons ensued. Before hope was lost, that humanity would fall, a man believed to be half god stepped into the only remaining light the sky could give. His figure illuminated the darkness, and in doing so gave the people the hope they all had wished for._

"Daddy, why do they call this man half a god?" The little girl asked. The father turned away from the book and patted his daughters head gently. The story book opened wide to the picture of the man depicted.

"Because in the past, gods and humans used to see one another…but that upset the balance and that's how war broke out." He answered as sincerely as he could to the little 4 year old. But her eyes pondered his answer and he let out a soft sigh. "He is called half god because the people saw him as their savior."

"Oh," she nodded and returned to a comfortable position in his arms ready for more. But the father wearily knew he had to set off and moved her off his lap.

"Perhaps another night…I have to go." He closed the book and kissed her head before she began to pout when being carried to bed.

"Why can't I come?" She sat up and tugged his shirt.

Shaking his head and tucking her back into bed, he explained to her in gentle words why it couldn't be so. "What I do Sakura is very dangerous at times. When you're older though, and make a name for yourself, perhaps then you can come along with me."

"But that'll be forever," she whined. He laughed quietly and gave her a much needed hug to calm her down. "Daddy, don't go…"

"…if I don't go then who will out-due the guards?" A smile played the corners of his lips and she returned him a smile. "I'm the only thief fast enough that can outrun any guard here." Pinching her cheeks and hearing her laughter, she finally gave in and stayed in bed.

"Ok…I'll let them borrow you tonight then." She said. "But tomorrow night you have to finish the story!"

"And that is a promise I tend to keep," he held out his pinky and had her small finger wrap around his. "By Kaalvis I will return to you Sakura." She was returned under the covers and tucked away for the night when he had gone.  
For Sakura who slept that night had awoken to a heartbreaking parting of her father being caught and executed first light in the plaza of Aknáh. A child's loss is more grieving to understand and accept then any adult could comprehend. But with this event it forced her to grow. It could have been a bad turn out for this small child, but over the years she had gone out alone, she developed skills unlike other thieves, and exceedingly made a name for herself like her father wished of her. The skills she developed though were frightening even to herself. She could not show it to others, could not even contain it well if provoked. So she hid it away and used only what thieves could know. Now at sixteen she prowls the city of Aknáh with her name known on high alert. There is nothing she has not stolen, nothing that would stop her from stealing, and she even claims a title that only Aknáh would know her by: The World's Greatest Thief.


	2. Chapter 2

A Chance Meeting

The sand beneath my feet rubbed against the thin soles of my shoes. My breathing staggered from the running, but all my focus was on the routes I would take to make my escape. The common ally, the market place, the rooftops, there were so many ways to lose a guard. This guard though in particular is of a special case. Having been gone on vacation for a month has put him on the heavier side and I tend to fix this matter before it gets out of hand.

"What's the matter Fajük, can't keep up with me?" I teased.  
His body slumped against a wall with sweat dripping off his face. He was barely able to stand and keep up his breathing. Letting out a sigh of disapproval and walking towards him, I hung the sack I took over his head and looked down on him.  
"This really can't go on Fajük…you have to lose that weight you've gained or you'll never be able to catch me at this rate." Poking his chub and getting a reaction out of him, he looked up and wiped off his face.

"Calling me a Fajük is not helping with my self esteem…" he panted for a short while before slinking to the ground. "Did you have to take my pouch for me to chase you?" He asked.

"But of course!" Aghast he would ask such a question, I tossed the bag up and down and grinned. "Having you back makes me extremely happy," I say while looking at him. "And besides that, no other guard here in all of Aknáh is capable of catching me." I say with a cocky attitude to my ranking and he chortled! "Why laugh? It's nothing but the truth." I quipped.

He continued to laugh for a while before he placed a hand on my knee and gave it a pat. "I know, but I couldn't help but feel a little happy hearing you tell me I was the only one to catch you."

"We made a deal remember," I say this while patting his hand back and returning his pouch. "No one is allowed to catch me and take me in other than you. You are my exclusive guard," I say.

Accepting his money back and grunting while getting back up, he gave me a warm smile and was ready for another go. "And you are my exclusive and most elusive thief."

"That's right!" Jumping up and getting a head start towards the ally, he followed suit and gave it his all to keep up.

Unexpectedly dropping from above and startling her, Nina, her Nekizarian friend who is half cat, ran alongside her and had something to say.  
"Sakura," her R's purred as she spoke, I listened. "Mike wishes for you to return home. They are closing the doors soon." She told me. Chancing a glance up and seeing the sun almost down for the day I had to say my goodbye to Fajük and continue this chase another day. "I will see you home soon then," Nina leapt up onto some crates nearby and made her way up to the rooftops before gone from sight. I pulled over to a small corner with some pots abandoned by shop owners and had a devious idea brew in my head. Taking one large pot and hiding around the corner, I waited for Fajük to come close enough before planting the pot on top his head.

"GAH!" He yelped and fell backwards in surprise. "What is this?!" He questioned hurriedly while attempting to remove the pot. His voice echoed inside the pot and made him sound so different it made her laugh.

"Sorry for the surprise there, but I have to go home now and I can't just leave you unscathed. A notorious thief like myself has to keep an image." I tell him. He said nothing to me, but his thumb went up knowing what I meant and I took off to the market place to perhaps swipe some things for the trip home.

Walking through the crowded market and trying not to get caught while picking pockets, there was a ruckus of people swarming in one spot. I went to check it out when I tripped over a couple kids running through and right into a man walking by.  
"I'm sorry," I say quickly. "Are you alright," I asked. Taking this chance to see who I ran into, this man was fairly striking in looks. His hair was an off white color of silver that hung low past his shoulders to his mid-back. Having fallen into him and feeling his body proportions I'd say he has a good physique as well under the heavy attire. But the most striking aspect of this man was his eyes. They were such a clear blue it seemed they were white.  
He said nothing to me for the apology I gave but had given me a scowl while dusting himself off! Taking offense and biting my lower lip, he huffed and began walking off without saying anything to me.  
"Well sorry," I say sarcastically behind his back. I wanted nothing more than to shout out at him saying he was a Talakük! Fixing my own clothes and forgetting about the crowd, I went off towards the old storage homes where I live.

"Sakura," being stopped immediately after getting on the roof, I looked around and heard someone click their tongue at me. "Sakura over here," a male voice called out. Taking a better look around and moving to the edge of the roof to look down, it was Kyke.  
Being a nekozarian like Nina, he was smaller than the rest—considered the runt—and had a rustic brownish red color to his hair and ears. His orange eyes looking up at me with all worry was enough to make me want to go and pet him if it weren't for how serious he looked.

"Kyke," a little confused to see him out in the day, I jumped down to speak with him. "What brings you out here?" I asked him.

"I have news for you," he spoke quietly as if someone would overhear. I leaned closer and he placed his hand over his mouth to my ear. "The guards are up to something tonight. It doesn't look good for any thief to be out. Watch your back," he cautioned.  
He took off rather quickly to avoid questions and I stood here wondering what the guards could possibly have planned. In any case the sun was setting and I had to get home.

In the oldest part of town with rundown warehouses and other storage units were forgotten, these made perfect shelters for every thief in Aknáh.

Jumping across the rooftops to other houses, she was approaching a rundown warehouse and felt more at ease that she was closer to home. Sighing, she couldn't stop thinking of that guy she wanted to curse at. His cold white eyes staring at her in such disgust actually made me shiver. Though it did get me curious what a foreigner was doing here in the first place…it's just sand here, not much to offer.  
Thinking carefully about how he looked, "If I had to name him…he'd be the devil in disguise." Pointing her finger up in the thought, she felt like that was wrong and shooed away the careless thought. "He was just…angry?" Thinking that was it, I better give it up and just head inside and greet everyone. They are going to celebrate tonight! Opening the wooden door, the loud creaking sounds echoed on the inside and everyone looked up with startled reactions. "I'm home~"

A loud thunderous roar started filling the space and the thieves started gathering around her for her safe return. "Sakura!"

Shutting the door behind me and un-strapping the large bag on my back, I grinned from ear to ear and held it proudly before them.  
"I got a pretty good haul today guys, check it out!" Handing one of them the goods, they gasped and started cheering in their own way. "There should be plenty of food for everyone that'll last a few days, so don't be picky." My hands on my hips, I wasn't going to go easy on them if they suddenly decide they wanted something high class.

Someone chuckled, making her smile as she turned to see her brother Mike coming her way. "We're thieves' sis; we can't afford to be picky." Welcoming her with open arms, she forgot the others petty squabbling and ran to him. "Welcome home Sakura…"

As she looked at his smiling face, his strange scent of bark from the palm trees rubbing on her, she grinned and he could only look intrigued.

"Sakura…what did you do?" Pushing her back at arm's length, her face looked like a cat as she stepped back and began her tale.

"All I did was run laps around the market with my good friend Ben," counting with her fingers. "Then as we got into the market, I went to an alley and I hid myself in a vase. When the moment was right, I plopped the vase right on his head!" Laughing hard, some of the others overheard and started joining in on the laughter. "Maybe I was too easy on him…but he gained so much weight I wanted to show him how unfit he was." Pouting my lips and putting my finger on them, Mike started giving me a noogie and ruffling up my already messy hair.  
"Mike, cut it out!" getting his arm, we started wrestling around and no one could interfere. This was brother vs. sister at the moment.

Seeing her siblings fighting, Hana—the oldest—started chuckling to their match and caught Sakura off guard. Having an opening, Mike pinned her and won the game.

"Not cool Mike! I was distracted!" Shoving him off and rolling away from him, Sakura went up to her sister and hugged her. "Hana I'm back."

"Yes welcome home…you were gone for two days this time, why?" Fixing her hair, it was futile since it was in knots and entangled within her own hair.

"Well, that's because the food that was coming in from Crikgás was fresh early rise, and the bounty I got was right before my eyes. I couldn't possibly just go in and out like usual. I needed to plan." Rubbing the back of her neck, she heard her sister sigh in worry and Sakura smiled to cheer her up. "But look, I'm alright, not a scratch on me!" Showing her, she turned to have Hana examine, and sure enough there was nothing.

"I'm glad…" relieved, her face showed another concern that caught Sakura's eyes and dampened her mood.

"Hana…is it father?" She asked. Hana nodded and thought what to say before speaking to her, but Mike comforted her from the side and urged her to be strong.

"Sakura…this winter's frost is supposed to be the worse to come. Others say it's the year of the ice-shadow. Father won't be able to survive it…it is too cold and he's much too frail."

"That's why I've been getting money! Mike, we can take father to the doctor…we have enough for the treatment and medicine. We can save him!"

"It's too risky Sakura…" he spoke sternly, but she wouldn't give in.

"Father can be saved if we can just—"

"You do realize it's _you_ that has the largest bounty on your head right? They see you vulnerable for only a moment and your head is theirs!" Snapping at her, she withdrew herself and held her arm in dismay. "I'm sorry Sakura…as much as we all want him to be alright and healthy, we can't risk it." Her face grew dark as her head tilted down, averting his gaze, and he felt guilty for snapping. "Come on, let's go see dad and talk to him about your heist. I'd bet that would raise his spirits." Cheering her up, she raised her head and smiled as if she forgave him and they set off to their shack above the others to talk to their father.


	3. Chapter 3

Wondering the Northern tower, a small boy was sneaking around looking for something, but he was too hasty and tried barging into the tower. Unknowing that a guard was posted early at the base of the stairway he was caught, then questioned why he was there. The boy squirmed and fought free before escaping and making way to his home. Hopefully he wouldn't be followed, but that was unlikely.  
Coming out from the shadows, the leading commander of the military force of Aknáh approached his group of soldiers, ordering them to follow and pursue the thief. Finding where they nest and rid the pest.  
"The rats of this city will be purged before dawn…I'll be sure of it." Clutching his sword he held at his waist, he turned to his loyal men and they pursued the child quickly.

Celebrating the bounty brought to them still and gathered round a fire, one of the guys saw Ed looking frantically around for something.  
"Ed, what's up?" he asked.

"Have any of you seen Runt? I can't find him anywhere…his rounds should have been done a midday ago." Still frantically searching, the guys haven't seen him either and started looking around and calling out his name.

Hearing all the noise from their home, Sakura peeked out the window and saw everyone searching for someone—  
"Is someone not back yet?" She asked, but her father started coughing and she forgot them and went to his side. "Father, are you alright?" Taking his hand and leaning her cheek on it, he smiled weakly and assured he was fine. "…." Worried for him, he raised his wrinkly hand out to her slowly.

"Sakura…you have become so brave." Patting her cheek gently, he was praising her for being raised well as a thief. "Though I wish I could be by your side…these bones just don't do me justice." Chuckling in his throat, she did the same and told more of the guard she befriended and that their pact has not broken. "Really…he's a good man, that one. Best keep that stranger close. You may never know when the time would come you may need his help."

"Yeah…I'll keep that in mind." Standing up and hearing something different than the calling, she peeked through the window again and saw everyone staring at the door. "What's going on down there?"

Coming through the door in a hurry, Runt had toppled forward out of breath on the ground. Ed ran up to him and helped him up, but noticing he was drenched in sweat.  
"What happened to you Runt?"

"I'm sorry…they—" The doors swung open loudly, and black pepper-smoke started taking over. Blinding some, and rendering the others who were close by useless, I panicked and stuck half my body out to get a better view.

Taking in a deep breath, I yelled out "Scatter" to everyone below and could see soldiers coming in. Looking back at Mike and father, what were we supposed to do?  
"Mike…father he—we have to get him out!" Running to them, Mike got a hold of father and lifted him up gently to his shoulders. Hearing all the noise getting louder, and the screaming, my mind pulled in several directions on what we were supposed to do.

"Sakura, we'll take the escape patch, we'll be on the roof. You make sure that everyone gets out of here!" Taking his order, I ran out and started running on the bridge to the other side to get a better advantage on the situation.

Leading his men through the warehouse, the commander scowled at the place. Finding shacks and bridges above and below, they made a nest for thieves to harbor freely.  
"Disgusting vermin…" covering his nose with a cloth, his general came up and told him the situation.

"Good news sir, we have captured 15 thieves in counting. Shall we take them in, or execute them?" Waiting for orders, the commander looked at him with dead eyes and a smirk showed underneath his cloth.

"Take them in fresh…we'll execute them at dawn."

"Yes sir!" Saluting and giving out his orders to the others, the thieves were frantic and scurrying away left and right.

Hearing what they plan on doing, I was furious! "As if I'd let you do that!"

Hearing a woman's voice, the soldiers looked up to find one girl standing on the bridge in defiance.  
"And what can a girl do?" The commander asked, liking the moxy she was showing.

"For one thing, I will take you all myself and beat you out of my home!" Jumping down and landing from such a height, she looked fine from the drop and struck down the closest soldier, taking his sword from his hilt and aiming it at us all. "Come and get me you Bak-raghs!"

Insulting him and his men, the commander ordered for her to be killed. While being attacked, her every action put some interest in his mind, then something struck him when she whirled and got a better look at her facial features. Pulling out a wanted poster from his coat, he snickered as the price for her shown gallantly in his eyes.  
"On second thought men…capture her. 500 Tenni is a fine pay dead…but alive is worth much more."

Killing a few soldiers, my mind was in a hurry to free my friends. But when I heard Hana and my younger sister Taly in trouble, I snapped and saw them being dragged by the hair.  
"Release them!" Shoving the soldiers away and running towards my sisters, one of the men grabbed my arm from behind and my anger rose. I concentrated on his arm coldly and ice started to form, freezing his arm and I pulled roughly to shatter it off.

"AAAAHHH!" The man screamed, falling backwards and grabbing his nub of an arm.

Turning away from him and to the two holding my sisters, mist was being formed around my feet as I walked towards them.  
"Release them…" my words were cold and not my own, but I couldn't stop myself from saving my sisters from harm. "Hana, Taly, get out of here and find Mike. I'll handle these guys." Raising my hand out to my side, I felt my being indulged in this power I have. I feared this, but my sister's are important to me, and if sacrificing my sanity to save them was necessary it would be worth it.

"Sakura you—calm down…" Hana muttered, looking wary of me, but I had to release this horrible power I have. It's my only chance to get everyone out. "Sakura…"

Calming down for her sake though, only momentarily, I smiled and tapped her shoulder once for her to take off. Seeing some of the soldiers letting my friends go, only those who were taken out were still in captivity.

"Well now, this sure is surprising….a thief is a witch in disguise." The commander snickered as he crumpled the wanted poster and shoved it back into his coat. "I'll have my fun with a wench like you." Taking out his sword, she took her stance like normal, no mist surrounding her, or any sign of ice forming. But her cold glare was focused solely on him.

"Sir," a regular guard had come in through the doors out of breath. "I heard you sent your soldiers here, but—"

"Fa—Ben?!" Sakura called out, though confused. He turned his attention to her and saw what was going on. "You're in on this with…" looking at the commander hard in the face, she smirked to her cleverness. "Pencil-neck…I swear you've gone down a level since coming back from vacation." As if seeing Ben turned her coldness off to the others, the Commander sneered at her mocking sense of humor.

"You vile woman who taints our holy streets!" The commander lashed out at her with his sword and she flipped back-words and was defending herself. "I'll purge every last one of you pests if it's the last thing I do!"

"As if you could do that pencil-neck," countering his swing, he spun and swung in for another attack. She nearly didn't dodge it quick enough and it nicked her arm. She swung back, but he slid back and countered quickly for another strike.

"Commander you must capture the thieves for hanging, not—"

"Silence!" Swinging down at her, she blocked it but fell harshly to the ground. "I will personally hang this woman at dawn…this will be the end of her thieving days." Sheathing his sword, he kicked her hard in the face and walked away as his soldiers came and arrested her. "Take her and the rest of the vermin to the underground chambers. Separately of course…make no mistakes." Walking past Ben, he smirked and said nothing as he walked out of the warehouse with 16 captured thieves.


	4. Chapter 4

Riding his sky screamer through the open sky, the red and orange hued clouds reflected the shadow of the beast in flight.  
"Blade, head down, we'll rest here for the night." Heading down in a spiral, the beast extended its wings at the last second before hitting the ground and landed gently with only a cloud of dust in the air. "Nice skills there boy, too bad no one was here to see." Looking around and seeing a large old storehouse, they headed inside it and it was completely abandoned. "Well boy, this is our humble abode for the night till morning. Rest up." Unpacking his things off of Blade, he stretched his wings wide and let them fall to the ground and dragged them to a spot he decided to flop on.  
Getting out a small journal of his notes, he skimmed through the places he's been and checked off the places he's searched in the corner.  
"I'm just not having any luck here…Agnáv had nothing, Hethengar was a total lost, and even Crikgás was a waste of time. The only good thing that came out of this damn excursion was the rumors about the book in Nüblar. Other than that, no leads on any other demons…" sitting down near the wall and leaning back on it, he was exhausted from the trip and could see the remaining light fade away through the broken window. "Aknáh…don't let me down." Letting sleep take over, the sound of the sand hitting against the doors soothed him, and the snoring of Blade just made him smile as he was out completely.

Sitting in the cell, I couldn't have imagined myself being captured and waiting to be hung. As the proclaimed greatest thief, this sure wasn't too great.  
"Sakura…you still awake?" One of the guys who got caught was in the cell next to mine. I went up to the iron bars and leaned against them to hear him better.

"Yeah…I'm awake… Harol you ok?" I asked. I could hear him try to laugh, but the mood was dark in here.

"Wish I didn't get caught. But it seems I'm not as good as some of the other guys."

"Harol, no one's perfect. I'm sorry that I couldn't get everyone away." Looking out the small window I had I couldn't even see the stars that shine brightly in the night sky. "Harol…I don't plan on escaping here until I know you guys are in the clear and hidden away. So don't be scared at what I'm gonna do ok?" I know he didn't understand what I meant, but as I shifted away from the bars I let my ominous power of mine flow through and concentrated solely on the cuffs. I felt the metal start to chill, but the way they were made must have been insulated due to pencil-neck's information. So shattering the cuffs was out of the question, but that wouldn't stop me from shattering the bars for the others.

"Sakura, is it getting colder in here?" The others started to wake up and asked the same question. I was getting tired from using my power so many times today that it was hard to concentrate on all of them. But eventually, as everything got colder, I heard the bars creaking and warping.

"Everyone…break the bars…" letting go of my power, I fell sideways to the ground and quietly took in deep breaths. I could hear them slamming into the bars and shattering them. I was happy to hear them breaking free, but sad that Harol tried breaking my bars barehanded. "Harol…I'll be fine…I just need to rest a bit. Find my brother…make sure everyone gets to him safely." Not even turning to look him in the face, I heard him hesitate, but the footsteps of them all leaving the chamber-hold echoed their escape.  
"Ugh…I feel sick." Having enough strength to sit up and lean back against the bars, I just stared blankly at the starless night. "Maybe they think I'm a witch too…"

 _You sure are weak…I could have encased this place in one breath._

The voice I locked away has been seeping through lately…haven't heard this shrilled voice for a few years now.  
"What do you want…you've been quiet for a while now…what brings you out."

 _How nice of you to ask…_ as if projecting herself before me in mist, her icy form always startled me and made me realize how scary it was to have her inside me. _I got bored of waiting to take over your body. So here's the deal…if you die in the morning, say you'll hand your body over to me. I live and you die…isn't that nice of me? Your body will still walk the earth for all to see._

"As if…you're nothing but a vixen since the day you talked to me. I plan on escaping tomorrow during the hanging, so don't give your hopes up." Looking away, she started cackling a high pitched laughter that sent chills down my spine.

 _Look sweet heart, I love to stay and chat, but using only part of my power seems to have worn you out. Since I'm not the nice gal here, I'll just be holding onto my power till you die._ Her smile sickened me, but it drained all hope I had on freeing myself tomorrow. I was relying on her power… I needed this power to free myself.

"You witch…" I griped.

 _I prefer Demon if you don't mind_. The mist disappeared and the cold cell was all that was left. I couldn't help but feel tired, and though I didn't want to sleep with that in mind, it took over


	5. Chapter 5

Dawn approached…

"Mike, Sakura still hasn't come looking for us. You don't think they have her do you?"  
Hana looked out the small window in hopes to see Sakura somewhere out in the streets. I too would look out in hopes to see her come running back, but I knew she wouldn't. After getting dad away from there and seeing Sakura entirely surrounded I knew she would be caught by them. But I did hear from Harol and the others that it was thanks to her they got away. The way they described their escape sounds to me like Sakura used her power she strangely possesses. Though she knows well not to use it, her temper and other strong emotions tend to get the best of her and she uses it without thinking.

"Mike," Taly came up and pulled on my shirt with unease in her voice. "Is Sakura going to be alright? I'm really scared she got caught."  
I turned to her and knew she was anxious like Hana. But we had to stay put. We had to wait.

"Sakura will be just fine Taly," reassuring her as much as doing so for myself, I hugged her. "She's strong, clever, and more reliable than anyone we know. We just have to believe in her." I tell her. She took it to heart and went to Hana for more comfort. I sat down on the windowsill and stared up at the sky changing colors. The sun was rising in what seemed like a ticking bomb for her demise, but I had to hold some form of hope. Somehow Sakura will get away…she just has to.

It was early when Blade rolled over my legs and woke me up. I shoved him off me and rolled away just as he rolled back into place without waking up. His tail thunked loudly in place while his snoring overtook the silence.  
"I swear Blade you'll kill me one day..." Getting up and stretching, I went to my bag and grabbed my canteen of water to wash my face. The cold water felt nice on my tired skin, but something like a gathering caught my attention. Moments later a gong was heard and a lot more people started to gather and head somewhere. "I wonder what the big deal is?" Thinking about it, I didn't give it much thought and just grabbed my cloak and took one last look at Blade. Snoring like a baby and not going to notice my absence for a few minutes, I grabbed my knife for safe measure and headed out.  
Following the steady flow of people and nearing the center of town, the whispers of a hanging started to come to me and I felt a little tense going to see this. Back home we hold no such law, but I suppose here it is natural to watch a hanging take place.  
 _I feel like I'm following an occult…_ I thought to myself.  
The crowd started to slow down and I could see the line of guards standing at the ready near a stage. Feeling a little sick being here and just getting past it, there was some flashy looking guys standing on stage and they looked like they caught someone to gloat about.

"I thank you all for coming citizens of our beloved city." A tall, thin man, spoke over the crowds murmuring and stood proudly on that small wooden stage of his. He turned slowly and motioned for his men to bring out the catch. "I have here with us the most elusive rat this city could harbor. It is my deepest pleasure to showcase her here today and have you all witness a thief untimely demise." His snicker well seen as he was handed the chain, he yanked hard on his end and brought out the girl he spoke of. She fell harshly to her hands and knees and was bound in more ways a thief would normally be bound. When she tried getting back up he yanked again and she fell completely to the floor boards.  
"Thieves are a pollution to our fair city…and by all means should be taken care of as soon as possible. I have with me a girl who claims to be the greatest there is. Now if I do recall, there was a man 14 years ago who also claimed to be the greatest." Turning to the girl on the floor he walked a few steps closer and yanked her head up high for all to see. "I do believe one movement of my sword and he was no longer the greatest…" as if he was mocking her, her eyes were at a blaze with rage I couldn't understand, but something else sent chills down my spine when he asked her "any last words, witch?"

"Just this…" spitting in his face, he stepped back and wiped off the saliva, then back to her and slapped her across the face. She fell to the floor boards once more and this time didn't move.

"Why not use your powers you showed yesterday witch…surely that wasn't a onetime display." She didn't respond, but I knew something was amiss, and those words—powers—were that of what I've been searching for. If she was legit, and not some phony sorcerer, then Aknáh was a place of sheer luck.  
Quietly moving in the crowd and towards the front, she was carried over to the rope hanging above the trap door and I had little time to act. If I time it just right I can probably throw my knife and cut the rope. Just as she was strung in and being ready to be hanged, the door latch popped open and I threw my knife swiftly through the air and used my own power to sharpen the edges to cut the rope cleanly. Her body was heard hitting the ground and a groan escaped her when I reached the edge of the crowd to see if she lived.  
 _Way to close…_ I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck when I saw the men start to panic.

 _…_ _.I'm alive?_ Feeling the sand enter my clothes and the stone scratch my body, I was shaking not only from the fall, but from the near death experience.

"Get her!"

Quickly snapping back to reality, Ben was standing guard at the stairs up on stage and pretended to be on guard. "My cue saying gotta run!" Getting up and taking off into the crowd, I noticed two familiar faces being Hana and Taly. Though I could go to them and run alongside them, I rather have the soldiers calm down from chasing me than giving them trouble. It surely helped that Ben was here though…he was making the other guards frantic. But to give my ankles some rest and unbind the rope I hid around the corner and watched the scene up on stage while untying myself.

"Who is responsible for this?" Showing a rather unusual knife in his hand and glaring out at the crowd, pencil-neck roared out his anger. "Reveal who you are!"  
A man stepped forward wearing a dark cloak and raised his hands up.

"That'd be my knife," he said calmly. "If you don't mind returning that to me, greatly appreciate it." As if it was a casual talk, the guy was practically taunting the commander.

"You dare throw this knife and release a convicted felon and dare ask for your weapon back without penalty?" The commander used a hand signal to surround the guy in the cloak when the guy being surrounded seemed rather calm as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, why not. I got my reasons for freeing that thief and I plan on seeing it through." Lifting his head up and showing his face, the commander threw the knife back at him, and he caught it gradually through his two fingers. "Honestly, I hope this was worth the fuss…if not, my bad." His hair hiding his eyes, he was gone instantly and beside the commander like a wisp of smoke!

"How did he—"

"Guess I'm the same as the 'witch' there buddy," Knocking him out by hitting the back of his head, he was gone again and in the crowd making his escape.

"Don't let either of the two get away!" The guards scattered from the plaza in search for me and that mysterious cloaked guy. Having untied myself and hearing Ben giving orders to calm the frightened people of the city, I ran through the dark alley and headed to the old district that should be completely abandoned.


End file.
